


That Which Shines, Shines Brightly

by LdyBastet



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Drama, Erotica, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-War, Romance, Slash, The Quidditch Pitch: The Changing Room
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-08-02
Updated: 2008-08-02
Packaged: 2018-10-27 13:53:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10810344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LdyBastet/pseuds/LdyBastet
Summary: When the war was over, Severus had another battle to fight: the battle to free Lucius from Azkaban and self-inflicted isolation. [AU, Snape/Lucius, romance]





	That Which Shines, Shines Brightly

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).
> 
> **Author's notes:**
> 
> **Warnings:** Angst, abuse, prison sex.
> 
> Written for the Severus/Lucius Romance fic fest. My prompt was a piece of fabulous art by Cluegirl called The Only Thing That Shines,[](http://cluegirl.livejournal.com/623875.html) which also inspired me for the title of this story. Beta by Imma and Starkiller. Also, written before DH was published. 
> 
>  

'Oi! Malfoy!' Lucius looked up at the rap on the door to his cell and saw half of the pig-eyed Auror guard's face through the grated opening. The lock clicked when the key was turned and the door swung open to reveal the hefty figure of the guard, Graves. He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, with a nasty smile on his face.

'Yes?' Lucius asked impatiently when the guard said nothing. He was so tired of the Aurors' attitudes and false superiority. Just because he was a prisoner and Graves was not, it didn't automatically make the other man better than Lucius Malfoy! So far, they had proved to be rather afraid of him as well as his influence... or perhaps they feared that he could perform wandless magic and curse them on the spot. Lucius had wished more than once that there were more truth to those rumours.

'Haven't heard the news, have you?' Graves said, and Lucius felt like slapping his fat face to wipe that smile off it. The man was gloating over something, and Lucius did not like it. 'Seems like the little wife just got herself killed. I don't think your boss liked her much from what he did to her.'

Lucius felt his stomach plummet, filling with ice and sinking, sinking. Narcissa... He tried not to let it show in his face though, but his eyes must have betrayed him, because the smile on Graves' face grew. 'It's said she tried to stop You-Know-Who from doing something nasty to that spawn of yours... What's his name again?'

'Draco,' Lucius whispered, the ice and the cold radiating from his stomach and racing through his limbs.

'Yeah, that's right. Him.'

Lucius could hear the note of deep satisfaction in Graves' voice and it was sickening. Lord Voldemort had tried to do... what? ... to Draco? Punish him? Kill him? _Oh, Narcissa..._ Lucius hoped that her sacrifice had bought Draco time to manage his escape. 'Where is he now?'

'Oh, there wasn't anything left when your Dark Lord was finished with them. Just a few bloody traces and soot and dust...'

Lucius stared at him for a moment, while the ice inside him rapidly turned into something else, melted, then boiled and transformed into a white-hot rage that made him tremble both inside and out. It grew until Lucius felt as if he was going to explode, unable to contain the pain and the fury, and he suddenly lunged at Graves, reaching for his throat.

He didn't reach him, however. Graves hadn't goaded him without being prepared for a reaction, and the Stunning Charm hit Lucius square in the chest, sending him flying into the back wall of his cell.

'Oh no, you don't, Malfoy.' Graves laughed as he closed the door. 'We don't tolerate violence here. You'll see.' The lock clicked as the Auror turned the key again, and Lucius was alone with his emotions.

As soon as he could move again, he flung himself at the door, banging on it and yelling for Graves to come back, to tell him what had really happened, to let him out so that he could avenge the death of his wife, the death of his son, his heir... But no matter that he screamed his throat raw, bruised his fists against the thick wood, the Auror didn't come back. Lucius turned his rage and desperation towards his cell and to Voldemort. He cursed his Lord in every language he knew - both in words of power and words of impotence - for having killed everything he loved and treasured, the very reason for him joining the Dark Lord. He took the chair and flung it against the wall, but the skittering pieces didn't satisfy his rage and anguish, so he turned to the bed and reduced it to so much rubble, kicking it, tearing it apart with his bare hands, spreading it over the small cell. When he had nothing more to break, he went back to the door as if he could penetrate it by use of rage and need alone, until he had utterly exhausted himself and sank to the cold floor in pain.

His emotions caught up with him. The rage was cooling, and the pain and the grief broke through. Lucius hid his face in his bloodied hands and cried. He had lost everything while locked in this godforsaken place, and now there wasn't even any hope of ever seeing his loved ones again... He'd failed them.

The light of morning found Lucius sitting in the same place, staring at one of the splinters of wood on the floor. He didn't look up when the door opened, or when Graves put the shackles on him and connected them to the iron rings in the wall with a heavy chain. What did it matter anyway? The kick delivered to his side made him topple over, but he just curled up tighter inside his darkness, and Graves left.

 

~*~

 

Severus glared at the desk clerk when he reluctantly handed him back his wand after the registration of it. He hated how people seemed to think he would cast Killing Curses at the smallest provocation. The war was over, and he would be happier if people would realise that. He had been cleared of all charges in this very building, rewarded even with an Order of Merlin. At one time, Severus had coveted it so much (he could still remember how close he'd been when he had captured Black... only to see both slip away), but when he finally received it, it was with a bitter taste in his mouth. The price had been too high. Too many deaths, not the least those of people he actually cared for: Albus, Narcissa...

He found his way to Shacklebolt's office unaided, and swept in through the door, robes like a smoky shield around him. Severus didn't like being here, didn't like the Ministry and their machinations. They were no better in his eyes than the former Lord Voldemort had been. Their motivations differed slightly, but they had also killed people without remorse. Severus himself was certainly no stranger to manipulation and there were times he still had to play the game. Therefore, here he was, settling into the visitor's chair opposite Head Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, instead of in his classroom, trying to teach a room-full of students how to defend themselves against Dark Arts that hopefully no one would think of using for a long time to come.

'Well?'

'Good day to you too, Severus, and nice to see you.'

'No, it isn't, and no, it's not. Let's stop with the pleasantries. You know why I'm here.' The only reason Severus didn't glare at Shacklebolt was because he couldn't afford to alienate him. They had worked together during the war, and now Severus needed his help, galling as the notion was.

Shacklebolt just shrugged, unfazed by the impatience, but he did get to the point of Severus' visit. 'The Minister isn't too interested in allowing a known Death Eater to walk free.'

'Former Death Eater,' Severus interjected. 'And he was coerced into placing his... _allegiance_ in that camp. You don't really think that he stayed of his own volition after realising what a madman the Dark Lord was?' Severus gave a derisive snort, picking up the discussion roughly where they had left off during his previous visit.

'What else can we believe?' Shacklebolt asked in a low voice. 'He was leading the raid in the basement here.'

'What is it with you people? Do you honestly think that the Dark Lord didn't have something to pressure us all with so that we would stay loyal and obedient? You saw what happened to Karkaroff once he was found. You know what happened to Regulus Black when he tried to back out after his initiation. You were there to pick up the remains of Vincent Crabbe after his father, probably for the first time in his life, had a moment of thought and hesitation. You were there-' Severus broke off as his temper flared. He took a moment to compose himself and then continued, meeting Shacklebolt's gaze again. 'Threats, Kingsley. Threats and pain and the Imperius Curse. Those were his methods.' He saw Shacklebolt's eyes focus on his own; he hadn't seen him grab his wand or cast a non-verbal spell, but he could feel the increasing presence of someone else in his mind. Severus let the words he had spoken conjure images unrestricted by Occlumency. There were memories of death threats to loved ones, the memory of Draco's face when he had told him Voldemort had threatened to kill his parents if he didn't do what he was told, a memory of the pain of the Cruciatus... Severus gave no outward sign that he was aware of Shacklebolt reading the images, just sighed and looked away, breaking the spell, when he thought it was enough.

'I owe my life to Albus, for protecting me and giving me a chance to put an end to the terror. My only regret is that I had to pretend to be a loyal servant... but how many more who pretended, I don't know. And they didn't have the benefit of a protector, Kingsley. None of them dared make one wrong move, or they would be punished in some way. Like Lucius was.'

Shacklebolt nodded slowly, a look of deep thought and doubt on his face. Severus could only hope that the doubts were going in the right direction. 'I know, Severus. We all miss Professor Dumbledore.'

Severus bristled inwardly at the tone in Shacklebolt's voice; he could hear the unspoken words. _I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you._ Damn him! 

'Has there been any change in Lucius' condition?' he asked quickly, wanting to get as far away as possible from pity and pretended empathy.

'No. It's been a month now.'

'I want to visit him.'

'I'm not certain that is-'

'He doesn't have a family to visit him, despite the Ministry's very gracious new policy for prisoners and visitors. He's my friend, and he is all alone!'

Shacklebolt sighed and rubbed a hand over his bald head. He looked tired of having to argue over this. 'All right. I'll write a permit for you. You can see him twice a month.'

 

~*~

 

The trip to the island where Azkaban was situated was not one that Severus enjoyed. It was cold and damp and grey, and he knew that when he arrived it would be to an even colder and greyer place. Even without the Dementors as guards, the prison was bleak and forbidding, eroding people's will and life. Just eroding them much more slowly.

He told the guard on duty his name and whom he was there to visit. The parchment Shacklebolt had sent him was clutched tightly in his hand, and he was ready to present it should they would refuse, or pretend that the Head Auror hadn't sent word to them that Severus Snape was to be allowed inside to visit Lucius Malfoy. But there were no such troubles. The Auror just looked bored and unlocked the door to the interior of the prison.

'Visiting Malfoy, eh? There are a lot more entertaining prisoners, you know. But each to their own,' the guard muttered as Severus brushed past him. It was lucky for the guard that Severus had been required to relinquish his wand as he first stepped off the boat and onto the little island, or he would have ended up with a series of very nasty curses and hexes to make his life a little more interesting.

'Idiot,' Severus growled under his breath as he walked deeper into the echoing halls. He wondered briefly if the Aurors sent there to guard the prisoners were people that Shacklebolt (and Scrimgeour before him) had wanted to punish, teach a lesson, or simply didn't want in the force but couldn't get rid of in any other way. Intelligence didn't seem to be a prerequisite anyway, nor was tact. When Severus reached the next checkpoint, he was met by a large man who was to be his guide for the remainder of the way. Severus took an instinctive dislike to him. There was just something cruel and calculating about those small eyes... Perhaps it was nothing but the unease that he felt about the place, but Severus decided that it didn't hurt to be cautious.

He followed the guard through dark corridors only dimly lit at intervals by small lanterns of magic lights, up the winding stairs to a higher level, and was glad that years of living at Hogwarts had honed his sense of direction. He was not dependent on the Aurors to find his way - even though they would never let him wander around freely. It still gave him a sense of having control, of not being intimidated by the bulk of the prison or by its oppressive atmosphere.

Finally, the Auror stopped and hauled out a set of keys. Severus steeled himself. He'd heard from Shacklebolt that Lucius had had some kind of descent into depression or inertia, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight that met him when the guard pulled the door open with a grunt.

Lucius was sitting on the floor, on some rags that might have once been a blanket. Strewn around him, over the entire floor of the cell, were broken pieces of wood and scraps of other materials, the remains of the furniture that was the standard equipment of every cell. The sound of the door opening didn't seem to have reached him despite the smallness of the cell, and Severus took a step inside.

'Close the door,' he told the guard. 'I'll let you know when I want the door open again.'

The guard shrugged. 'He's violent, but suit yourself. The name's Graves. You can shout and I'll hear it.' He closed the door with a bang, but Severus didn't miss the sneer when he glanced at the figure on the floor.

Severus stood unmoving until he was certain that Graves had left. Then he took another look at the man he was there to visit. 'Oh Lucius,' he whispered and stepped closer. 'What have they done to you?'

There hadn't been a visible reaction from him, and there wasn't one when Severus knelt by Lucius' side. Severus studied him carefully: the hair was tangled, the clothes dirty and ripped in places, showing bruised patches of skin. The iron manacles around his wrists and ankles were tight and the skin above and below them red and inflamed. There was definitely nothing violent about the posture; defeated was a more appropriate word, thought Severus and he felt the squeeze of the cruel hand of hopelessness crush his heart. Lucius should not ever be defeated. He was far too proud for that.

'What have they done?' Severus whispered again and pulled Lucius into his arms to hold him close. He could see that this was far worse than depression. Violent, Graves had called him, and Severus looked at the debris. Had Lucius gone berserk? But for what reason? The man he knew had far too much self-control and detachment to do such a thing. It was not his way.

The chains rattled - a cold clanging noise that jarred the sick imitation of peace of the moment - when Lucius finally did move. It was just a slow change of position of one hand, but it inched closer to Severus, so he took confidence from it. Perhaps Lucius did know he was there, but just couldn't show it. He felt so frozen in Severus' embrace. Not only cold of skin, but frozen in time, in limbo, in something that Severus knew that he had to reach through if he was going to set Lucius free. He had come to give Lucius hope that he would eventually get out of Azkaban, only to find him locked inside yet another prison, one of subtler bars and walls, of invisible wards and boundaries. The workings of the first, Severus knew. Now he had to find the rules for how the second one worked.

Severus sat for a long time like that, slowly stroking Lucius' matted hair, feeling the beat of his heart against his arm. He didn't want to leave - he felt very protective of this broken shell of a man - but he also knew that he couldn't stay. 'It'll be all right, Lucius,' he said. 'I will help you get out of here.' It almost broke his heart to see his friend - the once so proud and beautiful and strong man - like this. 'I will be back soon, so wait for me here, Lucius.' Of course Severus knew that Lucius couldn't walk away, wouldn't fly out of the little window, but there were other ways of leaving, and he did not want to have to deal with that on top of everything else. It was enough that he had to worry about Draco; he didn't need another Malfoy to feel anxious about. But it was already too late for that. He was deeply worried about Lucius now.

Reluctantly, he pulled back, after pressing a kiss to Lucius' forehead. He banged twice on the door and called for the guard, and when Graves' ugly face appeared in the small opening in the door, Severus snarled, 'Open the door.'

Out in the corridor again, Severus watched Graves as he locked the door. 'Have the cell cleaned,' he ordered. 'And then put in a new bed!'

'He'll just break that one too!' Graves protested nastily.

'Oh, so how many beds has he smashed?' When Graves didn't reply, Severus gave him a dark glare. 'Just the one, then, I see. He's shackled. He's not going to break any more furniture and you know it. Get the cell cleaned and give him a new bed. Or I will have a little talk with your superiors. I'm sure they will find it interesting to hear how you treat the prisoners in your care.' Severus was not going to let Graves and his colleagues get away with treating Lucius like this, but he intended to make the man sweat a bit first, before handing him the fate he deserved. Making Lucius more comfortable took precedence; teaching the guards a lesson would come later.

 

~*~

 

Severus went straight to Shacklebolt's office after the trip to Azkaban Prison. There were things he thought that the Head Auror needed to know. As he described the misery that he'd found Lucius in and the dirt, the bruises, Shacklebolt's face grew more cold and serious. These were not things that had been reported to him, apparently.

'All he has is a blanket on the floor! The remains of the furniture are still strewn all over the floor, sharp splinters that he could easily use to hurt himself!'

'What did you do?' Shacklebolt asked and nodded when Severus told him he'd ordered for the cell to be cleaned and a new bed be installed. 'You're certain he's not so violent as they are fearing?'

'What can he do, Kingsley? Don't be an idiot!' Severus snarled impatiently and began pacing the room. 'He's unarmed, he's weak... he's more or less catatonic, for Merlin's sake! Your man Graves is a coward if he needs to keep chains on him to feel safe. He had no problem with him before, did he?'

'All right.' Shacklebolt frowned and raised a hand as if to still yet another of Severus' long speeches. 'I'll let them know that Malfoy is to have a new bed, preferably one he can't break as easily, and the chains be removed. Satisfied?'

Severus took a deep breath and sat down again. 'Yes. Thank you.'

Shacklebolt looked searchingly at him. 'You risk a lot for your friend, Severus.'

Severus made a sound of contempt. 'I don't have a very good reputation. How could it be more damaged? People don't like me and I don't care.'

'You have your teaching position at Hogwarts, being deputy Headmaster-'

'Minerva won't throw me out. She knows me. And if she does... ' Severus shrugged. 'I don't exactly enjoy being at Hogwarts again.' There were too many memories, too many ghosts walking the halls with him, and not all of them visible to others.

He looked up again, meeting Shacklebolt's gaze, and there was a moment of understanding between them. They had been on the same side in the war, and perhaps the Auror was one of the few people who could see the enormity of what Severus had done, the game he'd had to play for the sake of the Wizarding World. It made Severus trust him, just a little.

 

~*~

 

On a chilly day in April, Severus was back on the little desolate island in the middle of the North Sea. This visit would be easier, he thought. This time, Severus was prepared for what he would see, prepared for the chilly and hopeless atmosphere that oozed from the bare walls, and for the state Lucius was in.

Graves was looking decidedly displeased to see him back, and didn't say a word. Severus felt a small glimmer of satisfaction at that. Apparently, word from Shacklebolt had reached the prison with its unpopular message of relative leniency to be shown towards Lucius. When the door to the cell opened, Severus could see that orders had not been ignored, for the most part. There was indeed a bed for Lucius to sit on now.

Severus sent the guard away and turned to face Lucius and the cell. It had been cleaned, or at least the broken furniture had been removed, and Lucius was no longer connected to the wall by long chains. But it seemed as if the Aurors of Azkaban had their own thoughts concerning Shacklebolt's authority, because Lucius was still shackled. Only the ankles though, with a moderately short chain connecting the manacles. Severus recognised it for what it was: a stab at Lucius' dignity and worth as a human being, a statement (from Graves personally perhaps) that they worked independently of the mainland office, and also pointing out to Severus that he did not run things here. But it was a step in the right direction, and Severus would make certain that there were more of those.

'I brought something for the bruises,' he told Lucius as he sat down next to him and pulled out a small jar of salve from his pocket. 'But I will have to undress you a bit to administer it.' Severus sighed as there was no reply from Lucius. Did the man even know he was there? He placed a hand on Lucius' arm. There was no reaction. _Dangerous and violent, my arse,_ thought Severus darkly and began to carefully remove Lucius' shirt. There certainly had been a time when Lucius had been very dangerous, but violence had never been his chosen path. He'd always preferred to hold the strings instead and handle things from behind the scenes. For Lucius, it was not the glory, but the power that mattered.

Severus opened the jar and gently spread the sweet-smelling contents over a nasty bruise in Lucius' side. It was several days old, he saw, as were those spread over his back. As he worked his way over Lucius' back, Severus found a few recently healed scars: thin stripes of pink flesh against pale skin. Lucius was thin, but not dangerously so, and the muscles were still strong under Severus' hands. It was just that Lucius didn't seem to want to acknowledge his environment.

But the slow massaging touches worked their own magic, and Severus smiled when Lucius leaned closer, seeking more contact. He still didn't say anything, and when Severus was done, he just held him close just like he'd done on his first visit. There was a small, almost inaudible sigh from Lucius then, and Severus realised that he was indeed slowly breaking through the defences that surrounded Lucius' world.

He pushed Lucius' chin up and looked into his face. There had to be a reason for the blankness, after all. Lucius was hiding inside himself, but from what? What could make him react like that? Pain? Severus knew that Lucius could take much more pain than a few kicks or whatever had caused his bruises, so that was probably not it. Shock? 'Lucius. It's me: Severus. Look at me.' He focused on Lucius' eyes and when the gaze finally met his own, Severus pushed deep into Lucius' mind and memories.

He found... pain yes, but emotional pain. He saw Graves' nasty face, and heard him tell Lucius that his wife and son were dead, killed by Voldemort. The man looked almost happy to be able to give Lucius the news. Severus saw Lucius try to attack the guard and, when that failed, successfully attack the contents of his cell. Severus had to break the contact before the grief that washed over him from Lucius overwhelmed him. 'Lucius!' He pulled him close again, stroking his back. 'He's not dead, Lucius. Draco is not dead, and you will see him soon.' Severus understood. Draco was Lucius' pride and joy, his heir and his future. Lucius had always been a strict but loving father, and Draco idolised him. There had always been a special bond between them, Severus had seen, and when he was told Draco was dead, Lucius' world must have crumbled to dust and ashes.

'He's alive, Lucius. Draco is alive.' Severus whispered the words over and over into Lucius' hair as he held him close, gently stroking the naked skin of his torso, trying to soothe the pain he had found. If it were the last thing he did, he would see to it that Graves regretted his words, his cheap lies. To tell a parent their child was dead when it was not true was probably one of the cruelest things one could do, thought Severus - a special kind of lie that he was certain had a place reserved for it in Hell. When he left the cell, Severus held his rage and loathing in a tight grip in one hand; the other itched to hold his wand, to raise it against this piece of scum and hex Graves into next week. The glare he gave him was cold with hate, and the Auror actually backed away after letting him out. Severus showed himself out of the dark prison.

 

~*~

 

The next time, Graves was not there. Instead it was a lean fellow who carried the keys to Lucius' cell. Severus wondered for a second just what hellhole Shacklebolt had transferred him to; could there be any place worse than Azkaban? But then he dismissed it. Whatever Graves got, he deserved, twice over. Shacklebolt had not been pleased when Severus had told him what had happened, and Severus had used it for his own gain. Shacklebolt obviously lived under the assumption that prison guards should be fair and just, not sadistic bastards revelling in causing misery and pain. Clearly, the man must have been sorted into Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. Hufflepuff probably, since Gryffindors found such behaviour perfectly fine as long they were the ones doing it. Severus looked grimly at the back of the new guard's head as they went deeper and higher into the keep's interior. Once he had Lucius out of this place, he would never set foot inside the Ministry of Magic again, he vowed.

Severus was relieved to see that Lucius looked better. The bruises had disappeared with no new ones in their place, and the red and chafed skin on his wrists was less inflamed and swollen. Not for the first time, Severus wished he could be allowed a wand in here so that he could use a healing charm or two. But the salve he brought did the job nicely, if a little slow. The positive thing about using the healing salve was that the physical contact seemed to weaken the walls that Lucius had built around his mind. More than once, Severus made eye-contact with him - short moments, but it showed that Lucius was aware of him, and perhaps had to fight more actively to keep reality away from him. Severus was not going to let him win that battle. Damn the stubborn pure-blood and his insistence on only seeing the world his way! Well, this time Lucius was even more wrong than ever before! And Severus was going to prove it.

After he had smeared the last of the salve on Lucius' ankles, or as much of them he could reach with the manacles still in place, Severus pulled him into his arms again. It felt good. It was peaceful in a way, and he was allowed to just hold this man in his arms, comforting him. Lucius had always been so strong, never needed Severus - not the way Severus had needed him. He'd taken Severus under his wing when he was just a school-boy, protected him, taught him, encouraged him, and then led him into chaos and destruction. _If you have two candles,_ Lucius had once said, _one representing good and one representing evil, how do you know which one to choose if they both burn as brightly and clearly?_ Perhaps it had been his way of apologising for taking the Mark and for leading Severus to do the same thing. Severus had never asked.

'Draco is alive.' Severus kept repeating it, and the words became a litany, a prayer, and after an eternity, there was a movement from Lucius. He raised his head and his lips moved.

'Alive?' Nothing more than a broken whisper, but Severus felt a surge of both hope and relief now that he had coaxed a response from Lucius.

'Yes.' Severus held Lucius' gaze, forcing the man to understand what he was saying, willing him to accept it. 'I was too late to save Narcissa, but I grabbed Draco and Disapparated with him. He is safe, Lucius.' Severus didn't tell him that afterwards, Draco had disappeared, because he knew that the boy had gone himself, not been taken. It had been on Severus' order. _Run, hide, don't stay too long in the same place. Only contact me when things have calmed down... be safe._

Lucius nodded and seemed to straighten up, yet he stayed close to Severus, not in any hurry to break the contact. 'And you're here...' His throat was hoarse, unused to make sounds, and he sighed and rested his head on Severus' shoulder again. How good it felt, Lucius thought, to sit like this, to be aware of the warm body next to him, the arms that held him... Lucius had heard Severus' voice but the words had only slowly made sense to him, mostly because he didn't think them true at first. But Severus had not given up, and gradually Lucius' refusal to feel hope had been eroded. To get confirmation that Narcissa was gone hurt of course, but that Draco was still alive drowned that stab of pain in a vast ocean of relief. Severus wouldn't lie to him, Lucius knew.

The chains clinked as he turned more towards Severus and put an arm around him. They sat like that for a long time, comfortable in each other's presence, and Lucius felt as if some of Severus' strength seeped into him along with his body heat. Hope slowly grew inside him, a small and delicate little thing that could so easily be crushed again, and Lucius was almost waiting for it to happen. 'I want to see him,' he whispered.

'We have to get you out of here first,' came the reply and Lucius had to smile. Severus, the optimist? Or was it simply Severus, the determined?

'Thank you,' Lucius said and allowed his lips to traverse the patch of skin on Severus' neck between collar and ear. He felt the grip on his waist tighten slightly, and then he tasted the skin. Salty, vaguely tasting of... Lucius couldn't define it. It must be Severus' own unique taste and smell, he supposed. It was nice, and he liked it, wanting more of it. He'd been alone for so long... He raised his head again and covered Severus' mouth with his, enjoying the feel of his breath against his lips, the warm and moist lips moving against his own, parting, inviting...

Lucius moaned and the sound woke him up from the dream-reality of the soft kiss, making him pull back guiltily. 'I didn't mean...'

'Yes, you did. And I let you.' Severus' eyes were dark and friendly, warm. 'I'd let you do more if only you wanted it, Lucius,' he whispered and kissed him again.

'Tell me about him,' Lucius asked when they pulled apart again. And while stroking Lucius' back, Severus told him what Draco had been through since Lucius was imprisoned up to that fateful day when Voldemort had decided that Lucius' son was of no use, and how Severus had sent Draco into hiding.

 

~*~

 

'It's not that I don't trust you, Severus,' said Shacklebolt. 'I just need proof. I can't let a dangerous criminal out simply because you want it, Order of Merlin or not.'

'Then where is the proof that he is a dangerous criminal?' Severus growled. 'Remember that Knight Bus conductor, Shunpike? You had him locked up in Azkaban for months, despite knowing that all he'd done was to try to impress a few girls. He's still not back to his old self, say those who know him. Black was recently posthumously cleared of charges, and he was held for twelve years.' Severus didn't like to remind others, or himself, of the fact that Black had apparently been innocent of the crime he'd been sentenced for, but it was a fact, and if it could sway Shacklebolt, Severus would use it.

'He was accused once before-'

'Yes, when the Dark Lord was... vanquished by the Potter child. He was found to have been put under the influence of the Imperius curse by the Dark Lord, and therefore innocent.'

'No, he _claimed_ to have been under Imperius. There's a difference there.'

'And now you _claim_ that he wasn't. Word against word, Kingsley; lack of proof weighed against lack of proof. But I can assure you that Voldemort's Imperius is strong, just ask Potter himself.' Severus leaned forward in his chair. 'There are worse things than the Imperius though. Imagine seeing a metaphorical knife held to your heir's throat, and knowing that every false move you make may result in his death or maiming. Such an experience can lower your resolve to break the hold of the curse. Even fighting against it could have been to ask for the death of a loved one.' Shacklebolt looked disgusted, and Severus pressed the point further. 'What choice do you have then, when your obedience means that your family live and prosper? The contrast is striking, isn't it? And where is his wife now, I ask you? Buried. His son, disappeared.' He sat back and studied the Auror's face, not wanting to use Legillimency now, but also needing to know what his thoughts were.

'You saved Draco.'

'I saved Draco,' Severus admitted. 'And then he ran. I have no idea where he might be.'

'We'd like to talk to him.'

'I'll tell him if I see him,' Severus said with a slight curl of his lips.

'Get out, Severus,' Shacklebolt growled and picked up one of the parchments that lay on his desk. 'I have work to do.'

Severus got up and headed for the door. He'd just opened it when Shacklebolt spoke again.

'Why do you want to save Lucius?'

'He's my friend,' Severus replied and left, leaving Shacklebolt with a pensive look on his face.

 

~*~

 

Lucius was waiting.

He was waiting for Severus. Severus had told him that he would be back to visit him.

His waiting didn't look much different from his earlier non-waiting, though. He was still sitting on his bed, still looking at nothing, or a patch of dirt on the opposite wall. And while he was waiting, Lucius was thinking. The world was no longer a void, himself the only inhabitant and everyone and everything else shadows on the rim of the black hole of his existence. No, now there was something much like hope in it, and the pain was considerably less.

He was thinking about Severus' last visit, about what he had told Lucius, about the sensation of his smooth hands rubbing salve over his body and injuries, about feeling his arms around him, about those kisses...

He didn't know what the kisses meant, if there even was a meaning to them other than comfort and closeness, physical touch. But the comfort had been welcome and the warmth of the embrace had made him feel good. _I'd let you do more if only you wanted it,_ Severus had said, and Lucius' thoughts had lingered on that statement, that promise of light and pleasure and the end of loneliness.

Lucius was mourning. His life companion was gone forever, trying to save their son... and she had succeeded. With Severus' help, Draco was still alive. It made the pain bearable, knowing that there had been a purpose. Severus had insisted that Draco needed his father, so Lucius no longer could afford the luxury of closing the world out.

Life returned to him. It slowly seeped back into his limbs and into his mind. He remembered the smell of spring, of summer rain. He remembered joys and sorrows, pleasures and pain. And with life returning came the reawakening of needs and desires. Lucius kept returning to the thoughts of Severus. His trusted friend.

Suddenly, the sound of a key in the lock broke through his reverie. The door swung open and Severus' dark voice demanded that the guard remove the chain from Lucius' ankles. Lucius sat unmoving while a guard whose name he didn't know removed them, didn't move a muscle until the door had closed again and he and Severus were alone.

'Thank you,' Lucius said softly and looked up at him.

Severus smiled. It was a welcome sight in the gloom of Lucius' current life. 'How are you feeling?'

'Aware. Sore... but I am coping. I've been thinking.'

'That's good to hear. I was... worried.' Severus looked away, and Lucius wondered at how awkward his friend always seemed when admitting that he cared. He'd almost forgotten that.

'I'm grateful for your concern, Severus,' Lucius replied softly.

Severus nodded, a hint of embarrassment in his eyes. 'I need to treat those abrasions. Do you have bruises or anything on your legs? Perhaps I should check...'

'I think you should,' Lucius agreed and stood to remove the thin trousers. His ankles did hurt. They were swollen and looked on the verge of inflammation; the metal had chafed and opened up a wound. Lucius stretched out, face down, on the bed and sighed as he felt Severus' fingers gently apply the salve. Just to be touched by another human being was heaven, and that it was Severus... Lucius trusted him and relaxed in his company.

The tender strokes soothed him; it felt good even when Severus rubbed the ointment into the sore spots, and Lucius turned over when Severus was done with the back of his body. He felt no embarrassment over his naked state. Severus had seen him naked before after all, even though it was more than a few years ago. They had taken care of each other after vicious demonstrations of the Dark Lord's temper, after curses and hexes. But this time, Severus' hands seduced Lucius' body and mind in a way they had not done in the past. The strong fingers moving over a thigh and a calf muscle conjured warmth and need that spread through him, slowly growing into arousal.

When he was finished, Severus hung back slightly, as if uncertain that Lucius would need his comfort anymore but Lucius held out a hand. 'I want to feel you close...' Lucius needed the body-contact, craved it, now that he wasn't completely alone anymore. He didn't want the touches to end now; the magic that they had awakened was one that Lucius wanted to taste more of. The clothed body of his friend, stretched out alongside him, felt good against his naked skin. Severus' dark gaze searched his own for answers, but to which questions, Lucius didn't know, and right at that moment he didn't care.

'Would you touch me?' Lucius whispered, and when Severus' fingers brushed along the length of his cock, Lucius couldn't hold back the sobbing moan; like a wounded animal, it tore itself from him and he didn't have the strength to catch it. He clutched instead at Severus' robes, bunching the fabric in his hand, and sought his neck for kisses; soft skin that seemed to beg for love bites.

He felt alive, finally, with the pleasure that Severus gave him rushing through his body. Dark doors opened to memories and sensations Lucius had tried to forget, thinking that he would never again feel them, that they were stolen from him forever as he shut out life and love from his consciousness. But now he felt it again, he felt _everything_ again, and when he opened his eyes and looked into Severus', he was drowning in the tenderness within them.

With a hunger that was almost consuming him, Lucius kissed his friend deeply, plunging his tongue between parting lips. Severus' tongue moved leisurely against his, stroking it as his hand stroked Lucius' cock, playing, seducing, giving... and Lucius moaned, hungry for more. His hands found their way through the barrier of buttons and fabric to the warmth of skin, the feeling of a heartbeat, the tickle of small hairs. Unfortunately, Lucius' body found satiety before he was ready, before he thought he'd had his fill, but he forgave it, couldn't fault it for being overwhelmed. He arched up under Severus' clever fingers and offered up another moan to be muffled by their kissing.

When he reached for Severus again, wanting to caress him in turn, Severus shook his head. 'You're not strong enough yet.'

'Or, you don't want it,' Lucius replied with a hint of sadness at the rejection.

'Oh, I want it. But I don't want to tire you...' Severus smiled, and the soft kiss he gave Lucius showed his care and transformed the sadness into something entirely different.

 

~*~

 

When Lucius waited now, he didn't wait passively. He paced the cell with deliberate steps, soon getting used to the sound of the chain scraping against the stones. Lucius came to terms with the loss of Narcissa, and said his private goodbyes to her spirit. Perhaps one day, he thought, he would be able to do it at her grave as well. Severus had promised he was doing all he could to see that happen, to see Lucius free.

Severus was the bright beacon that shone in his darkness, in what was his life now, and strange and wonderful feelings stirred inside him as he thought of him.

Lucius' one worry was Draco. Sometimes, when the night was denying him sleep and the walls seemed to crush him, his mind would conjure up the most gruesome images of what might have befallen his son, and he would bombard Severus with questions about Draco the next time he saw him, wanting to know if there had been any word of his whereabouts. But no news was good news. It meant that Draco had not been captured, had not been killed. Lucius took comfort in that, and the knowledge that the Dark Lord was gone; if the Aurors found Draco, they wouldn't keep silent. It would make the headlines, and then Severus would tell him.

'I can't pretend nothing has changed,' Lucius said one day. 'I have changed too. How, I don't fully understand yet. But I can't go back to the Manor while Draco is gone. What would I do there? It's empty, apart from all the ghosts of my past.'

'So what will you do?' Severus didn't like the small stab of fear he felt at the suspicion that Lucius might go off on his own, perhaps leave Britain and Severus behind. How could he live without Lucius' company? Exist, certainly, because he was breathing, but live? They had only just begun to explore what lay beyond friendship and trust.

'I want to find Draco. Will you help me?'

Severus relaxed and Lucius' hold on him tightened for a moment. 'I'm not putting all my efforts into getting you out of here, just to see you leave without me,' he said, trying to hide the relief he felt behind his usual gruff demeanour.

 

~*~

 

'I will need your permission to bring Lucius here,' Severus said and refused to look away when the cat simply stared at him. 'He doesn't want to go to the Manor... it's not a home anyway, I think. To him it's probably more like a tomb right now.'

The cat slowly closed its eyes and then looked away, its attention drawn by a small movement in the grass, and Severus wondered if she'd come out here to escape the stuffed atmosphere or to chase mice. Did she chase mice? The mental image was decidedly disturbing and Severus firmly closed that avenue of speculation.

'He's not been well. I'd like to have him close so I can keep an eye on him.' Severus looked out over the little road leading to Hogsmeade. 'He's not like the others. He hasn't done any heinous crimes.'

'He supported Voldemort,' came a voice from beside him.

'He supported some of the Dark Lord's ideas,' Severus replied and turned to face Minerva. 'And then it was too late to get out. Not everyone can face a gruesome death for himself and his family over principles. He tried to protect them. It's not a convicted murderer I'm trying to bring into Hogwarts, Minerva!' he said bitterly.

'I know.' She placed her hand on his arm, a look of worry on her face. 'But the parents are going to get up in arms when they find out he's here.'

'We're not going to stay long. We just need somewhere to organise the search from. Somewhere to come back to when we need rest.' How peaceful it looked when there were no children milling around, Severus thought. 'You will have to find a substitute teacher for my classes.'

Minerva nodded, and Severus knew then that she had accepted. 'Do you know when the Ministry will let him go?'

'No. Not yet.' Severus felt the light squeeze on his arm, and the reassurance felt good. She trusted him.

'Bring him back here when you can. He has a life to rebuild. You both do.' She patted him on the hand and went back to the castle, leaving Severus alone with his thoughts.

 

~*~

 

'I think Shacklebolt and the Minister are close to giving in now,' Severus whispered as he pushed Lucius' shirt off his shoulders and leaned forward to tease a nipple with his tongue. He hadn't wanted to get Lucius' hopes up in vain, but it really had sounded as if they had come to their senses the last time he was in Shacklebolt's office. After all, they either had the murderous and dangerous Death Eaters in custody or they were dead, killed in the battles. Compared to them, Lucius looked like a lamb. Severus had told them that they couldn't hold Lucius because they thought he had intended to be as bad and vicious as them in the last stages of the war. Where were the actions, the foul deeds? How could they punish Lucius the same as Macnair? Logic... it sometimes made a difference, even to the Wizengamot and the Minister for Magic.

'Thank god for that,' Lucius murmured and then lost himself in the sensations Severus was creating for him. Severus' robes came open under Lucius' fingers, and soon they were both naked, hands exploring.

Severus climbed onto the bed where Lucius was sitting, and eager arms wrapped around him. He smiled as he looked down at Lucius, and held him close against him. The blond hair had fallen forward and it was tickling Severus' stomach and thighs deliciously. 'I want you,' he whispered and then pushed Lucius down on his back.

Severus straddled Lucius' legs and leaned down to catch his mouth in a heated kiss. He moaned when Lucius' hands caressed his back, his hips and thighs. The firm grasp on his buttocks, pressing his cock against Lucius' made them both breathe harder. The kisses became the words they couldn't say, the pleas that refused to form. Hotter and hotter their arousal burned, and Severus wondered how he had ever been able to live without this, without this gorgeous man.

They rubbed against each other, more and more frantically until Lucius sneaked a hand between their bodies to grab both their cocks together, and Severus gasped as the friction increased and he rubbed more firmly against Lucius' cock.

'I want to feel you come,' Lucius whispered in his ear, and it was almost Severus' undoing. There was nothing he wanted more, to come together with Lucius, to hear that Lucius wanted him. He looked at Lucius, caught his gaze and found it dark from arousal and need. Gone was the icy grey and in its stead was a furnace of arousal and emotion that seemed to burn into Severus' soul, branding him as surely as if Lucius had held a glowing hot iron to his body.

'How could I resist?' He grabbed Lucius' hair in one hand and kissed him deeply.

But it was Lucius who tensed up under Severus with hips thrusting up faster. With a loud moan, only partly swallowed by the kiss, Lucius came hard, and his semen was smeared all over Severus' cock as he continued to thrust into Lucius' hand. It took him only a few moments, a few more strokes, and then he too came, burying his face against Lucius' shoulder.

The small cell was quiet after that, only their breathing slowly calming disturbed the peace. Lucius stroked Severus' back lightly, his fingers drawing little patterns along his spine. When Severus finally moved to stretch out next to him, Lucius smiled and turned onto his side so he could hold Severus close.

Never before had Severus had so many reasons to be happy, and he had found them in the most unlikely of places - Azkaban.

 

~*~

 

_Severus,_

_Enclosed is a copy of the release order for Lucius Malfoy. I suspect you'd want to go there to oversee the procedure yourself, so I might be able to spare an owl the effort of flying there with the papers, if you would be kind to take them in person?_

_Good luck._

_K. Shacklebolt,  
Head Auror, Ministry of Magic_

Severus closed his eyes and allowed the emotions to wash over him. There was relief, of course, and elation - even happiness. Lucius was going to be free! But when he read the little note again, the words at the end caught his eye. _Good luck._ What did that mean? Severus suddenly felt a little exposed. Had the guards at Azkaban reported that he and Lucius were lovers?

Were they lovers? Severus sighed and sat down at his desk, placing the papers in front of him. They touched, they kissed... but they didn't speak of their feelings or of what it meant, if anything. Of course, Lucius would grab any opportunity for pleasure and for the chance to forget, even momentarily, where he was. The old doubts crawled up to the surface of his mind again, trying to sink their claws into him. _Lucius has everything, why would he want me?_ But that was a voice from the past, Severus knew, and he impatiently pushed it away, angry at himself and his insecurities. Lucius did not have everything, not anymore. And perhaps he wanted Severus... a little.

He wrote a quick note for Minerva, telling her where he was going and why. He summoned a house-elf to take it to her, and then pocketed the portkey he had prepared. It would take them to the back of the school, near one of the back doors not too far from the stairs to Severus' quarters. It wasn't so much for secrecy that Severus had chosen that spot, but for the scenery. He'd thought that maybe Lucius would find the view of the open landscape appealing after so long inside those walls.

Important papers clutched in his hand, Severus set out for Azkaban Prison for the last time, and he shoved them under the guards' faces as soon as he arrived. They wouldn't believe him at first, but after having examined the seal and the parchment (under Severus' watchful eye; he was not letting those papers out of his sight), they acquiesced and Severus walked the steps to Lucius' cell ahead of the guard, impatient to let Lucius out.

As soon as the door opened and Lucius saw it was Severus, he knew something was happening. Something out of the ordinary and outside the routine they had found. It was not yet time for Severus' visit. Lucius stood, searching Severus' face for clues, but all he could see was that it was good. It had to be good news, because his dark eyes were shining, and his sallow features were flushed.

'Severus?'

'Come! We're leaving!' Severus was smiling like a madman, and Lucius' heart started beating faster. 'You're free! Now, don't just stand there, come on!'

Lucius walked down the stairs, through the corridors, and once in a while, he caught glimpses of the face of an Auror looking at them. It was surreal, as if it was a scene from someone else's life and Lucius was watching it along with the others. But Severus was at his side, supporting him when he stumbled on a step, anchoring him in reality. Severus was real.

The grey skies that met them outside the prison walls were real as well, as was the smell of the sea. The waves beat angrily against the rocks, but to Lucius it was the sweetest music. The waves had been there before as well, but heard through the walls, it had been a low and annoying vibration humming through the stones of the structure. He'd stopped hearing it after a few months. Now, it was loud: a wild sound that crashed into his eardrums over and over, like Nature's beating heart. He turned to Severus and watched as he pulled out an old Roman coin from his pocket.

'Hold it,' Severus said, and Lucius' fingers joined Severus' on the uneven surface. Severus activated the port-key, and Lucius was pulled along, to what destination or what fate, he didn't know. But he was going away from the place that had tried to destroy him, and that was what mattered.

They landed on green grass, looking out over hills and little dales. A little behind them, Lucius saw the high wall of a castle, a tower visible at the top, but it was completely different from the high walls he'd just left. Non-threatening, almost... benign, if a building could be said to have life and intent. He turned back to watch the scenery, and the ball of tension in his stomach slowly unravelled. Suddenly, the sun broke through the blanket of clouds, and the green hills and the little brooks shifted and bathed in gold.

Lucius took a deep breath of the clear air, and wondered how best to describe all the little smells. _Hope_ , he thought. _It smells like hope._

 

~*~

 

Would Lucius leave now that Severus had helped him acquire his freedom? Severus remembered Lucius' words, but it was one thing to say them while still in a bleak cell, only hoping and dreaming that freedom was a possibility, and quite different when it was a reality. But Lucius just stood in the sunshine and breathed slowly as if he could inhale the essence, the magic of Britain, and in that manner, make it a part of himself again. Then Severus felt a tentative touch, Lucius' hand seeking his own, and he smiled, opening his hand to take Lucius'.

After a moment, Lucius turned his head to look at him. He was smiling too, and the breath caught in Severus' throat. 'Let's find Draco,' Lucius said, and Severus nodded. They walked up to the castle, to what had been Severus' home for so many years. First a bath, a good meal, and a comfortable bed. Tomorrow they would begin the search for Draco.


End file.
